On the Verge of Death
Heinrich's vanity was greatly satisfied by his son's toasts and flattery.
He struggled to lift his heavy eyelids, looked at the heir before him, mumbled a few words of praise, and then tilted his head back to drink the wine in his glass in one gulp.
After that drink, he was completely unable to sit still; his body swayed, and he almost collapsed into the chair.
Just then, the sound of horns and the barking of hounds came from the distant woods. The hunters responsible for driving the prey had given a signal that the game had been driven into the designated area, which would be easy for the King to shoot at.
"Your Majesty... the prey... has arrived..." A personal guard stepped forward and reported in a low voice, while respectfully handing the King a beautifully loaded flintlock musket.
Heinrich mumbled a drunken "hmm" and struggled to stand up, nearly falling over, but fortunately, a guard and a nearby nobleman caught him in time.
He staggered as he took the musket, feeling that it was slightly lighter than usual, but his drunken mind was too oblivious to notice the subtle difference.
With the help of others, he staggered toward the designated firing position, a small earthen mound with a wide field of vision, where a sturdy gun mount had already been set up.
The guards skillfully helped the King set up the musket, adjusted the angle, and aimed it at the clearing in the woods below.
Instead of the usual docile deer, a large, bristling, and unusually agitated adult wild boar was spotted in the open space!
Driven to desperation by the hounds and their calls, it is pacing back and forth in the open space, emitting threatening low growls.
Heinrich squinted, his eyes still slightly glazed, as he tried to aim at the swaying target.
His obese body trembled slightly, his breathing was heavy, and he reeked of alcohol.
Just as his finger was about to pull the trigger!
Queen Katerina, who had been quietly following beside the king, suddenly turned to the knight standing on the other side of the King, who was responsible for guarding him, and spoke in a volume that was just loud enough for a few people nearby to hear, but not loud enough to disturb the King.
He asked in a low, urgent voice, "Sir Hans, I think I just saw an unusual flash in the woods over there. Could it be someone? For His Majesty's safety, please take men and investigate immediately!"
Sir Hans, whose name was called, was taken aback. His duty was to protect the King at all times, especially in critical moments like when the King was firing a gun.
But the Queen's order sounded reasonable and her tone left no room for argument.
He glanced instinctively at the King, who was intently aiming, then at the Queen's serious expression, and hesitated for a moment.
It was that one moment of distraction!
Bang!
The instant Sir Hans looked away, Heinrich pulled the trigger!
The flint struck the fire door, igniting the gunpowder in the powder pit!
However, because the amount of propellant was artificially reduced by a few grams, the recoil generated when the bullet was fired was much smaller than usual, and the gunshot sounded somewhat muffled!
The drunken King only felt a jolt in his arm, but did not notice anything unusual.
The bullet whistled through the air and struck the wild boar precisely in the shoulder blade area!
But the scene of blood splattering and wild boars falling to the ground as expected did not occur!
The bullet, lacking sufficient thrust, failed to penetrate the wild boar's thick skin and fat, but instead embedded itself deeply in the muscle!
"Awooo!!!"
The excruciating pain instantly unleashed the wild boar's most primal ferocity!
It let out a shrill, ferocious howl, its crimson eyes instantly locking onto the direction from which the bullet was fired.
That figure standing on the earthen slope, exuding a strong smell of alcohol and human odor!
The next moment, this ferocious beast, weighing hundreds of pounds, like a warhammer out of control, lowered its head, bared its ferocious fangs, and charged straight at King Heinrich at an astonishing speed!
"Protect the Emperor! Quickly, protect the Emperor!"
"Your Majesty, be careful!"
"The wild boar has gone berserk!"
The change happened too fast! The surrounding nobles and servants were terrified, letting out shrill screams and instinctively scattering in all directions, creating chaos in an instant!
Sir Hans, who should have stepped forward immediately, was a beat slower to react because the Queen had diverted his attention!
By the time he came to his senses, the wild boar had already charged down the slope!
King Heinrich was completely sobered up by the fright!
He watched as the colossal beast charged toward him like a vengeful demon, his massive stomach stiff with fear, making it impossible for him to dodge effectively!
He tried in vain to back away, but his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground!
"No... no!" he screamed in despair.
Boom!
The wild boar rammed solidly into Heinrich's bloated belly!
The immense impact sent him flying like a rag doll, crashing heavily onto the grass several meters away!
The wild boar's tusks tore a huge gash in his luxurious hunting attire, and blood gushed out instantly!
That wasn't the end of it. The crazed boar didn't stop. It continued charging forward, its tusks and heavy body crushing over the fallen King and dragging him a short distance before turning and rushing into the nearby woods due to pain and loss of its target!
Everything happened in the blink of an eye!
By the time the guards finally mustered their courage and surrounded the boar with spears and swords, it had already vanished without a trace.
Only on the grass remained, where King Heinrich XI lay curled up, groaning in pain.
His hunting attire was ripped open at the abdomen, and a gruesome wound was gushing blood, staining the grass beneath him and his magnificent robes red.
His face was ashen, and his breath was weak, clearly indicating that he had suffered severe internal injuries and trauma.
"His Majesty!"
"Quickly! Summon the imperial physician! Quickly!"
"His Majesty is injured!"
The camp was instantly plunged into extreme panic and chaos.
Queen Katerina was the first to rush to the king's side, her face filled with tears of terror and grief, and she cried out for the royal physician.
Prince Sigmund also ran over and knelt beside his father, his face pale and his body trembling slightly, whether from fear or... some other emotion, it was unclear.
Sir Hans and the other guards, their faces ashen, knelt to one side, knowing they had committed an unforgivable dereliction of duty.
Among the accompanying guards, only the captain, who had some knowledge of treating external injuries, mustered the courage to step forward and examine the wound.
He glanced at it once, and his face turned incredibly pale. His voice trembled as he whispered to the nobles who had gathered around him, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty's wound is too deep. I'm afraid... I'm afraid the wild boar's tusks have pierced his internal organs. This... this bleeding won't stop!"
These words struck like a bolt from the blue! His internal organs ruptured!
In this era of poor medical conditions, this was almost certainly a fatal injury!
What's worse, they didn't bring any court priests or high-level healing potions with them for this impromptu hunting trip!
The nearest, capable healers are all in Prye City, 140 kilometers away!